star

noun, often attributive \ ˈstär \

Updated on: 25 Apr 2018

Definition of star

1 a : a natural luminous body visible in the sky especially at night

b : a self-luminous gaseous spheroidal celestial body of great mass which produces energy by means of nuclear fusion reactions

2 a (1) : a planet or a configuration of the planets that is held in astrology to influence one's destiny or fortune —usually used in plural

(2) : a waxing or waning fortune or fame

her star was rising

b obsolete : destiny

3 a : a conventional figure with five or more points that represents a star; especially : asterisk

b : an often star-shaped ornament or medal worn as a badge of honor, authority, or rank or as the insignia of an order

c : one of a group of conventional stars used to place something in a scale of value

4 : something resembling a star

was hit on the head and saw stars

5 a : the principal member of a theatrical or operatic company who usually plays the chief roles

b : a highly publicized theatrical or motion-picture performer

c : an outstandingly talented performer

a track star

d : a person who is preeminent in a particular field

—

starless

play \ˈstär-ləs\ adjective

—

starlike

play \ˈstär-ˌlīk\ adjective

See star defined for English-language learners

See star defined for kids

Examples of star in a Sentence

They gazed up at the stars.
There are billions of stars in the universe.
I'm glad we didn't use the tent. It's so much nicer to sleep outside under the stars.
The restaurant was awarded four stars for excellence.
Critics give the movie three stars.

Recent Examples of star from the Web

Either way, Philadelphia would enter that series as the favorite thanks to their pair of young stars.

— ben golliver, SI.com, "Ben Simmons's Triple Double in Game 4 Shows the Sixers Have All the Answers," 21 Apr. 2018
As with any meteor shower, NASA recommends moving to dark places and away from sources of light to catch the best glimpse of the shooting stars.

— leada gore, AL.com, "Lyrid meteor shower peaks this weekend: Best times, place to see shooting stars," 21 Apr. 2018
There, beachgoers often rub elbows with the likes of country music star Kenny Chesney.

— patrik jonsson, The Christian Science Monitor, "As its beaches recede, Florida shores up private ownership," 20 Apr. 2018
As his older, savvier but still achingly naive brother, big-screen newcomer Fleurial Palmieri has the wily, darting charisma of a future star.

— guy lodge, chicagotribune.com, "'A Bag of Marbles' review: Children escape Nazis in war-torn France," 19 Apr. 2018
What had always appeared as a dark void with a couple of stars was actually packed full of light.

— Popular Mechanics, "55 Things to Do Before the World Ends," 19 Apr. 2018
Christian Pulisic, the 19-year-old face of American soccer, will be one of a number of stars coming to Charlotte and Bank of America Stadium as part of the International Champions Cup.

— brendan marks, charlotteobserver, "Why American soccer star Christian Pulisic is 'definitely excited' for game in Charlotte | Charlotte Observer," 19 Apr. 2018
Maluma has often rightfully been branded as part of reggaetón's new wave of stars.

— joey guerra, Houston Chronicle, "Reggaeton heartthrob Maluma fires up Sugar Land crowd," 19 Apr. 2018
Over the course of its two-year mission, TESS will monitor the brightness of more than 200,000 stars, waiting to observe tiny dips in starlight known as transits.

— amy thompson, Scientific American, "What’s Next for TESS, NASA’s New Exoplanet Hunter?," 19 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'star.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of star

Middle English sterre, from Old English steorra; akin to Old High German sterno star, Latin stella, Greek astēr, astron

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

star Synonyms

Other Astronomy Terms

gibbous, nadir, nebulous, penumbra, retrograde, sidereal, syzygy, wane, wax, zenith

star

verb

Definition of star

starred; starring

transitive verb

1 : to sprinkle or adorn with stars

2 a : to mark with a star as being preeminent

b : to mark with an asterisk

3 : to feature in the most prominent or important role

the movie stars a famous stage personality

intransitive verb

1 : to play the most prominent or important role

2 : to perform outstandingly

See star defined for English-language learners

Examples of star in a Sentence

The new television series stars a famous movie actress.
a concert starring some of the biggest names in the business
He starred in both baseball and football when he was in college.
She starred for the basketball team last year.
This restaurant is starred in the guidebook.

Recent Examples of star from the Web

Al Pacino is set to star in the project, with Barry Levinson attached to direct and exec produce.

— bill keveney, USA TODAY, "Al Pacino on his latest HBO biopic subject: college football legend Joe Paterno," 4 Apr. 2018
She, of course, also was paid to star in it, and had executive producer and writing credits.

— eileen reslen, Good Housekeeping, "What Is Roseanne Barr's Net Worth?," 3 Apr. 2018
She's made to watch a weird short film about deviance, which happens to star Moose and Kevin as two young men who forgo socializing with women to spend time alone together.

— amy mackelden, Harper's BAZAAR, "Riverdale Season 2 Episode 17: Veronica and Toni Just Staged a Daring Rescue of Cheryl," 29 Mar. 2018
The junior is the latest in a long line of Kuhlmans to star for the Thunderhawks.

— adam turer, Cincinnati.com, "No local state boys volleyball champ in 2017? No sweat. Contenders ready for big stage," 28 Mar. 2018
Years after their breakthrough sitcoms, Fischer and Braff now get to star as parents struggling to adjust to huge changes in their previously picture-perfect lives.

— caroline framke, Vox, "Zach Braff and Jenna Fischer return to TV in 2 new ABC comedies. Only 1 works.," 28 Mar. 2018
Who else is going to star in a movie about Frito-Lay's corporate magician?

— jeffrey lee puckett, The Courier-Journal, "Please, Louisville, don't screw up this sweet deal with Bill Murray," 28 Mar. 2018
She was born to star in crime stories, and fans agree.

— madison medeiros, refinery29.com, "Why Connie Britton's New Role Is So, So Perfect," 27 Mar. 2018
Meredith Baxter and Michael Gross of Emmy-winning NBC show Family Ties make their way to New Hope this weekend to star in Love Letters at the Bucks County Playhouse.

— Philly.com, "The Big Lebowski turns 20, Lorde plays Wells Fargo and more things to do in Philadephia," 27 Mar. 2018

First Known Use of star

1592

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

star

adjective

Definition of star

1 : of, relating to, or being a star

received star billing

2 : of outstanding excellence : preeminent

a star athlete

Examples of star in a Sentence

looking for star actors to play the leads

Recent Examples of star from the Web

Since then, Apple has built an all-star team of chip designers, currently led by Johny Srouji.

— aaron pressman, Fortune, "Why Apple May Dump Intel's Chips For Its Own," 3 Apr. 2018
Other states use numeric or star ratings, while some skirt labels by using a grading dashboard that provides performance data.

— lily altavena, azcentral, "Inside a 'D' school: An Arizona junior high grapples with its state letter grade," 22 Mar. 2018
To fill the sfince, fill a pastry bag fitted with a plain or star tip with the prepared ricotta cream and fill the puffs generously so that a cap of cream overflows.

— domenica marchetti, chicagotribune.com, "How to make fried Sicilian St. Joseph's Day treat called sfince," 16 Mar. 2018
Well, according to a report by People, Mandy has NOTHING to do with the pop star couple's current relationship status.

— noelle devoe, Seventeen, "Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber Are Officially on a Break, But It Has Nothing to Do With Her Mom," 13 Mar. 2018
The all-star game takes place Jan. 27 in Mobile, Ala. The NFL Network will broadcast the game, which starts at 2:30 p.m. at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.

— shannon green, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Former UCF tight end Jordan Akins invited to Senior Bowl," 13 Jan. 2018
The girls, in which the Connecticut East team will face the Connecticut West team, will play at 1 p.m. and the Connecticut boys will play an all-star team from New Jersey at 3 p.m. Tickets are $10.

— hartford courant, courant.com, "Regional Digest: Schoolgirl/Schoolboy Classic April 8," 21 Mar. 2018
With just 13 games left in the regular season, the Sixers are looking for more ways to keep their star player ready for the postseason, including the possibility of resting him in one of the final games.

— sarah todd, Philly.com, "Sixers center Joel Embiid still miles away from reaching his potential," 20 Mar. 2018
But in the wee hours of Thursday morning (March 15), the all-star hip-hop troupe proved to be abundantly potent in its appearance at South By Southwest.

— gary graff, Billboard, "SXSW: August Greene Light Up the Night with Powerful, Eclectic Set," 15 Mar. 2018

First Known Use of star

before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

star Synonyms

Synonyms

big-name, celebrated, famed, famous, noted, notorious, prominent, renowned, visible, well-known;

Antonyms

anonymous, nameless, obscure, uncelebrated, unfamous, unknown, unsung;

Near Antonyms

insignificant, unimportant;

inconspicuous;

undistinguished, unexceptional;

unpopular;

Related Words

fabled, fabulous, legendary;

infamous;

distinguished, eminent, exceptional, great, illustrious, leading, notable, noteworthy, outstanding, preeminent, prestigious, remarkable, supereminent, superior;

important, significant;

acknowledged, recognized, respected;

favorite, popular, preferred;

STAR Defined for English Language Learners

star

noun

Definition of star for English Language Learners

: any one of the objects in space that are made of burning gas and that look like points of light in the night sky
: a star or planet especially in a certain position that is believed in astrology to influence people's lives
: something (such as a symbol or medal) with five or more points that represents or suggests a star

star

verb

Definition of star for English Language Learners

: to play the most important role in a movie, play, etc.
: to have (someone) as the most important performer
: to perform extremely well

STAR Defined for Kids

star

noun \ ˈstär \

Definition of star for Students

1 : any of the heavenly bodies except planets which are visible at night and look like fixed points of light

2 : a figure or object with five or more points that represents or suggests a star in the sky

3 : a very talented or popular performer

a movie star

4 : a planet that is believed in astrology to influence someone's life

She was born under a lucky star.

5 : the principal member of a theater or opera company

star

verb

Definition of star for Students

starred; starring

1 : to mark with a star or an asterisk as being special or very good

2 : to present in the role of a star

The show stars my favorite actor.

3 : to play the most important role

She will star in a new play.

4 : to perform in an outstanding manner She starred in soccer this season.

star

adjective

Definition of star for Students

1 : being favored or very popular

the teacher's star pupil

a star athlete

2 : being of outstanding excellence

a star chef

Learn More about star

See words that rhyme with star Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for star Spanish Central: Translation of star Nglish: Translation of star for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of star for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about star

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Definition of star

starless

starlike

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Origin and Etymology of star

star Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

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Other Astronomy Terms

star

Definition of star

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First Known Use of star

star

Definition of star

Examples of star in a Sentence

Recent Examples of star from the Web

First Known Use of star

star Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

STAR Defined for English Language Learners

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Definition of star for English Language Learners

star

Definition of star for English Language Learners

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Definition of star for Students

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Definition of star for Students

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